Beginning Reading Program Prepares 4 ½ Year Old for Kindergarten

“When Haley was in the 4-year-old preschool class, she had difficulty with letter recognition. I could never get her to practice writing her name. She’d give every excuse so that she wouldn’t have to do it,” says Califano.

Not only was she resisting her mother’s efforts to help her learn skills like writing her name, Haley didn’t seem to be making progress in school either. “The school’s philosophy was that children learn through play. But that philosophy wasn’t clicking with Haley,” her mother recalls.

With kindergarten mere months away, Haley’s parents began evaluating their options. “I was hesitant about tutoring. I wondered, ‘Do I need to do this?’ But my husband and I felt like this was something we needed to try. We didn’t do it to get her ahead, but to get her where she needed to be,” Califano says.

So when Haley was 4 ½ years old, her parents enrolled her in the Sylvan Beginning Reading program. She went three days a week, for an hour, never balking about the stringent schedule. “I was so surprised. She never once resisted going, even if we had to leave the park or the beach,” recalls Califano. The payoff came quickly.

“I saw a difference right away,” Califano says. The difference wasn’t just in her skill ability, but also in her eagerness to learn, explains her mother. The little girl who had once refused her mother’s suggestions that she practice writing letters was soon walking around the house with pen and paper in hand.

Mrs. Califano attributes Haley’s success at Sylvan to a couple of factors.

“The biggest thing was the one-on-one,” she says. At times, Haley was the only child in her class. At the most, there were two others.

The motivational techniques also made an impact. Sylvan uses a reward system whereby students earn tokens for their work, and can then use their tokens to ‘buy’ various small toys. “Haley would be so excited every day that she earned these prizes. She liked that it was her hard work that got her the prize,” her mom says.

Haley’s not the only child to respond well to the Sylvan’s teaching strategies. “It’s fun. Students have a ball. It’s hard for us to get them to leave after an hour,” says John McQuaid, owner of the Huntington, New York Sylvan center that Haley attended.

As with many successful programs that appear effortless, Sylvan’s is based on thorough research and extensive experience. “With what we’ve learned about beginning reading, we identified better ways to go about it,” McQuaid explains. This includes the use of lots of hands-on manipulatives, individualized attention, and a positive rewards-oriented environment.

“We’re seeing a lot of success in terms of the students making measurable progress,” McQuaid says.

Haley’s mother can testify to this. “She’s no longer looking at me like ‘What’s an E?,’” she says.

Sylvan’s unique Beginning Reading program benefits early learners (as young as 4-1/2) by giving them a head start to excel in school. It will also reinforce the basic skills and help build confidence for those students who are in kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, as well as older students. This program will lay a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning and enjoyment through reading. To learn more, please contact your local center by calling 1-800-228-3413 or visit our Center Finder.